Hi-ya!

First things first. A Christmas miracle: Sister Worlton gave us some of her homemade jam for Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Strawberry, Peach, Pear and Plum.

Oh my yummy!


Also - how the heck did it get to be 2012 already??? Happy New Year! Where on earth has time gone though?

I got a letter from Tanya. It was great. Tell her thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Would it be possible for anyone to find me some sheet music (for a duet, trio or quartet) for the song "How Can I Keep from Singing?" ? When Dad set me apart he said that I would be able to use my singing voice to help share the Spirit and I have been trying to think of ways to do that, and this is the first idea I've had...

So, about Sunday: CIERRA CAME TO CHURCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Waaaaahh! I'm still so excited about it! She texted us around 10:15 and said that they were getting ready and we were just giddy the rest of the morning because she would finally be there! She and her mom showed up just before the meeting started, so we didn't have time to introduce them to anyone, but that's alright. They were THERE. Then the opening song was Hymn #291 "Turn Your Hearts" which is all about Malachi... I was mortified. Of ALL the songs they could have chosen. Really? We're going to sing about Malachi today?? Don't they know we have an investigator here for the first time??? yeah... and then it got worse. The youth speaker announced that he had been asked to speak on Temples and Baptisms for the Dead. Awesome... THIS is what Cierra needs her first week at church. To get freaked out because we baptize dead people...

All the speakers actually did a really great job though of explaining that temple work is on behalf of the dead and done in proxy. And they didn't seem to be too freaked out, so that was nice. No, it actually turned out fine and once I calmed down a bit and realized that Heavenly Father must have had a reason for having THAT be the day they talked about Temples, I was okay. Who knows, maybe something from those talks really touched them and was the piece they needed to maintain (in Cierra's case) or gain (in her mom's) interest in the church. God is in charge though, and He'll take care of it. If those talks weren't for them, he at least knew that they would be okay with them. I just have to trust Him. After Sacrament meeting, I was able to have a really good conversation with her mom, Tina, and finally get to know her story a little and bear my testimony to her that despite how hard life has been for her, and the disappointments she has experienced, God does love her. It was pretty cool.

Oh! It was also super awesome, because as soon as the meeting was over, Sister Dodd who was sitting right behind us started talking to Tina and I guess they work at the same place. Then other ward members and the bishop all started coming over to meet them. I LOVE OUR WARD!!! Cierra also recognized a couple of the kids from school, so that was cool too.

Another very exciting part about Sunday was this: I stood up after Sacrament meeting was over, and since Sister Dodd was talking to Cierra and Tina, I was just looking around the chapel. And then I saw Leah Hoogland. !!!!! It was so weird to see someone that I knew from pre-mission life. So much fun though. She is in the 1st ward that now with the time change meets right before we do. She said when she saw the Elders serving in her ward, she grabbed them and wouldn't let them escape until she found out if they knew me and how to get ahold of me. Haha. They told her not to worry and that I would be coming with the next ward. It was so good to see her! They live just outside of my area, but she said she might be able to meet us in our area on a preparation day or something.

Saturday night we got a call telling me that I would be staying here in Woodridge 2 and that my new companion would be Sister Stewart. The ward was so relieved that I would be staying, because apparently the last few times they got Sisters, they didn't stay for very long, and even that was a couple of years ago. It was nice to feel so loved though that they wanted me to stay and didn't want to see Sister Brown go.

So this morning we went to transfers and I met Sister Stewart. She is really tall, which means that together we will be the tallest companionship of Sisters in the mission! haha. It also means that I won't be the giant companion any more! Because even though I'm really not that big, next to Sister Brown, (and Sister Kearnes, and just MANY of my roommates...) I'm tired of being the giant. Perhaps this is one reason Juliette and I are such good friends?? ;)

Sister Stewart seems really great and I think we are going to get along just fine. I'm excited to be staying in the area, and it will be fun to learn some new styles of doing missionary work as I learn from her. I'll tell you more about her next week, when I actually know a little more. I can tell you though that she is from Oregon, though her family lives in Utah now. Both of her parents are from Idaho (Rigby and Hunt) Wasn't Grandpa born in Rigby?

In an appointment with Don the other day he said that he and Rose were talking about it, and they determined that Sister Brown and I would "make great wives". Hahaha! I love that they were talking about that. It was a really nice compliment, but it was just funny. Especially since he told us that in the middle of the lesson. Oh Don...

Well I think that's all for now.

I love you lots and lots and lots!

Love, Sister Hatch

Pictures:

• Sister Stewart!
• the park at the end of Don's street.
• bundled up for winter - the first day of the big puffy coat.
• pants that match the bulletin board at church. Thank you for sending me new PJ's! those ones were getting a little old...